A little perspective on Covid panic:

Disclaimer: This isn't a thread shaming anyone who tells their story. This is not a thread claiming Covid doesn't exist. It does and is devastating for some. This is a thread about media manipulation of that devastation. /1

When I was a kid, we played outside all day without fear of being abducted. Now, due to non-stop media, we have been conditioned to believe pedophiles are waiting everywhere to snatch your kids. In reality, less than .01 percentage of missing kids are abducted by strangers. /2

This not only has caused a whole generation of helicopter parents as well as their children being sexualized by media, but it has removed the attention from the other 99.99% of cases where children are trafficked by family or runaways are lured into trafficking./3

In a similar way, the fear of Covid has been mercilessly whipped up by the media. Despite greater than 97% survival rate, we are bombarded daily with screams to be afraid and you are a murderer if you don't comply with demands that haven't been proven to scientifically work. /4

Not only has this created a deeper division in our country, but it has increased anxiety levels so much so we have record suicides and overdoses. I would bet my career we will see a sharp uptick in OCD, agoraphobia, and hypochondria. /5

People have historically come to therapist to move past social anxiety, OCD, agoraphobia, and hypochondria. Now we are serving them up on a platter nationally. You are told to not only be afraid of a virus, but of your fellow humans and public places. /6

I'm not trying to diminish anyone's losses or ongoing effects from Covid. I'm not trying to diminish devastation families face when their child is abducted, runs away, or is trafficked. I'm trying to caution us from becoming a society that encourages panic as a medal of honor. /7

I have thought long & hard this year about how to balance physical safety and mental health. I have thought long & hard about the effects on relational, social, & spiritual health I am seeing. I have thought long & hard about what my responsibilities are as a professional. /8

For what it is worth, I am a licensed mental health professional sounding the alarm. Your empathy and grief is being hijacked for purposes that having nothing to do with compassion or concern. You are being weaponized for political gain. /9

I do not believe your fellow humans are out to get you or are flippantly disregarding health or freedom for the fun of it. Our only hope is to turn away from fear and embrace a radical love that seeks to understand each other, support each other, and be kind to one another. /10